Self-regulating pressure valve



Aug. 15, 1961 G. DION-BIRD 2,996,076

SELF-REGULATING PRESSURE VALVE Filed Jan. 15, 1960 SMMMK. 5 3* 2,996,076 SELF-REGULATING PRESSURE VALVE Guy Dion-Biro, 82 Rue de Silly, Boulogne-sur-Seine, France Filed Jan. 13, 1960, Ser. No. 2,149 I Claims priority, application France Jan. 30, 1959 r '1 Claim. (Cl. 137-50521) This invention relates to pressure regulating valves of the self-adjusting type adapted for use ,at the outlet of containers filled for example with high-pressure liquefied gas such as carbon dioxide. Valves of this type are usually mounted on the line connecting the high-pressure gas Container -or cylinder to an expansion chamber from which the various apparatus utilizing the gas are fed. According to the hitherto conventional practice, the movable valve member of this device is carried by a flexible diaphragm responsive on the one hand to the pressure of a spring urging the valve member away from its seat and on the other hand to the antagonistic force of the pressure prevailing in the expansion chamber, so that the valve member is influenced by variations in the gas pressure in this chamber so as to modify accordingly the cross-sectional area of the passage available for supplying the liquefied gas to the expansion chamber.

According to the present invention the aforesaid valve member, instead of being influenced by variations in the pressure .of the gas in the expansion chamber, is controlled by variations in the pressure prevailing in the line feeding the liquefied gas to the final line, these variations being influenced in turn by those occurring in said final line.

According to a preferred form of embodiment of the valve of this invention the pressure-regulating valve member, arranged at the bent of an anelbow-forming line or duct through which the liquefied gas is supplied, is operatively connected to a diaphragm urged on one side by a relatively strong spring tending to unseat the valve member, and subjected on its other side to the static pressure of the gas circulating in said line or duct communicating through a downstream branch passage, that is, disposed after the valve member, with a chamber underlying the diaphragm. As will be explained presently, this arrangement is advantageous in that it simplifies considerably this type of valve notably its valve body, wd also because the expansion chamber itself is eliminated, the inlet pipe opening directly into the final pipe or line. Moreover, the design of the movable assembly comprising the valve member is also simplified and the complete device is more compact.

The preferred form of embodiment above referred to and given by way of example only is illustrated in the single figure of the accompanying drawing which is an axial elevational section showing part of the container or cylinder filled with high pressure gas, and part of the final line fed therefrom.

In this drawing, the device is shown with the valve member in its normal operative position; the reference numeral 50 designates the valve body connected to the outlet pipe A of a gas cylinder B filled with high-pressure liquefied gas and provided with a main tap R. The reference numeral 51 designates the upstream branch passage through which the high-pressure gas (liquefied gas in the case of CO is delivered, and 52 is the down stream branch passage extending at right angles to the passage 51 and connected to the final line C, these passages or ducts 52, C having the same diameter or crosssectional area as the inlet passage 51, the final line C being screwed on a fitting 50a formed on the valve body. Registering with the upstream passage 51 and slidably mounted in a bore in axial alignment therewith is a cylindrical valve member 53 provided with a packing 54 2,996,076 P d w ,5 125,

and connected to a diaphragm 55 by means of a cup 56 and discs 57 disposed on either side, respectively, of the diaphragm and clamped between a shoulder of the valve member and a nut 58 screwed on the outer end of this valve member. Behind the diaphragm and opposite valve member is a'chamber 60 formed in the valve body and closed by a plug 60 screwed in the bottom of a bore 61, a suitable gasket 62 being interposed therebetween. This plug 60 is formed with an axial or concentric projection 67 acting as a stop for the nut 58 in the inoperative position thereof and, therefore, for the complete movable assembly comprising the nut 58, diaphragm 55 and valve member 53, a relatively strong compression spring 63 urging this assembly against the stop 67, as shown.

According to this invention, the chamber 59 communicates directly with the upstream branch passage 52 of the high-pressure gas supply duct, through a side duct 64 formed in the valve body and opening into said chamber 59 through a lateral orifice 65 formed in the plug 60.

Operation The high-pressure gas, which may consist of liquefied gas, notably in the case of CO flows along the upstream branch passage 51 and escapes through the downstream branch duct 52 perpendicular thereto which is connected to the final line C. The valve member 53 is normally retracted in the inoperative position by the spring 63, and the above-defined movable assembly abuts through the nut 58 against the projection 67 of plug 60. Thus, the inlet passage 51, 52 is perfectly free and nothing interferes with the gas flow for the valve is and remains stationary as long as the valve operates normally; in this connection it may be pointed out that the spring 63 too is not prestressed or compressed, under the same operating conditions. As a matter of fact, during the normal operation of the device one fraction of the gas under pressure, which flows through the branch duct 52 and penetrates into the branch duct 64 and then through the orifice 65, will firstly expand--when the operation of the device begins-in the pressure chamber 59, but the pressure in this chamber will quickly rise to the value pre vailing in the inlet passage, the force of spring 63 being so selected as to balance at least the pressure to which the diaphragm is then submitted. It is only during a reaction in the branch 52 of the inlet passage and therefore in the lateral passage 64 as well as in chamber 59, under the influence of a disturbance occurring in the operation, that the gas pressure may become high enough to overcome the force of spring 63 and move the valve member 53 in the direction of its seat 66 so as to cut off temporarily the delivery of high-pressure gas. Immediately as the disturbance ceases on the service side the reaction on the spring becomes the reverse of the preceding one and the movable assembly will engage again the projection 67 of plug 60, and the valve resumes its normal position as shown in the drawing.

Obviously the valve of this invention is extremely simple and compact, but nevertheless it operates very satisfactory.

Of course, the single form of embodiment shown and described herein should not be construed as limiting the invention as many modifications may be brought thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

What I claim as new is:

A self acting valve arrangement for regulating the pressure of compressed gas passing therethrou gh to a preselected pressure comprising, in combination, a valve body formed with a gas inlet passage adapted to be connected to a source of compressed gas and having an inner end, a bore extending from said inner end of said gas inlet U passage axially aligned with the latter and having a larger diameter than said inlet passage, a valve seat at said inner end of said inlet passage, and an outlet passage extending from said here at the junction thereof with said inlet passage in direction transverse thereto; pressure chamber means comprising a resilient flexible diaphragm arranged substantially normal to and coaxial with said bore and facing the latter, and rigid combined closure and stop means extending substantially parallel to said diaphragm on the side of said pressure chamber means distant from said bore; a valve member mounted for fluid-tight sliding movement in said bore between an open position and a closed position in which said valve engages said valve seat, said valve member having a rear portion projecting beyond said bore through said diaphragm fiuid-tightly connected thereto for movement between said positions thereof during flexing of the diaphragm and said rear portion having a free end abutting against said combined closure and stop means when said valve member is in said open position thereof; passage means formed in said valve body and communicating with said pressure chamber means and said outlet passage so that the pressure of gas passing through said outlet passage is transmitted to said pressure chamber on one side of the diaphragm tending thereby to flex said diaphragm in a direction to move said valve member into closed position; and resilient means operatively connected to said diaphragm and tending to flex said diaphragm in a direction opposite to said one direction to keep said valve member in open position, said resilient means constructed so as to keep said valve member when the pressure in said outlet passage is at said preselected pressure in fully open position and permitting gradual closing of said valve member upon increase of said gas pressure in said outlet passage beyond said preselected pressure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,773 Evans Apr. 25, 1899 2,796,076 Hottenroth June 18, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 294,073 Germany Sept. 12, 1916 898,477 France July 3, 1944 

